


All the Colorful and Beautiful

by Maisteacup



Category: Hannibal (TV), Hannibal Lecter Series - All Media Types
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Caring Hannibal Lecter, Hannibal Lecter Loves Will Graham, Hannibal Lecter is the Chesapeake Ripper, M/M, Partially Blind Will Graham, Sick Will, Someone Help Will Graham
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-27
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-18 02:46:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29727138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maisteacup/pseuds/Maisteacup
Summary: Will stood in silence before his head ached again. He pulled his glasses off and pinched the bridge of his nose. After adjusting to the pain, he put his glasses back on and opened his mouth to speak.Just before Will could vocalize his thoughts, a wave of nausea hit and he stumbled backward. He began to lurch, but he was unable to empty his stomach. Will had eaten nothing the evening before, so the only thing that came up was bile and stomach acid. Along with the sick feeling came a near-searing pain. He tried to catch himself, but failed and hit cold snow.
Relationships: Will Graham & Hannibal Lecter, Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter
Comments: 12
Kudos: 92





	1. Doctor's Diagnosis

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any medical information in this is completely unprofessional. I did my research on it but I am in no way an actual doctor, nor am I aiming to be a doctor, so please forgive the possible fictional values of the medical happenings in here.
> 
> Thank you for reading!

The hot air hung low in the atmosphere. In a quiet dusty room, a scruffy man was painting wildly. Every stroke of the brush, every flick of his wrist felt like a swift cut through the air. Small beads of sweat reflecting the afternoon glow of sunset. After a heavy sigh, he set his paintbrush down and walked toward the large window facing a field.

The treeline, a beautifully blended variety of greens and browns. Right below, a golden field and violet wildflowers. Up in the sky, pale blues and reds as far as the eye could see.

“How much longer, I wonder?”

The man thought aloud as a black car came into view, stopping in his driveway. Soon after footsteps and a knock at the front door. After pining over whether he should answer or not, he decided upon the ladder, staying still at the window.

The knocks pressed harder against his front door, almost making the man flinch, “Will, I know you’re home. Open the door.”

It was Jack at Will’s front door, probably asking when he would return to work. He’d been trying to get Will to open up for almost a week, not too much success. Will didn’t feel like leaving his house, much less going to work; which was why he sent in his letter of resignation. A final goodbye of sorts from his job at the Bureau; whether it was for his actual job as a teacher or his job as a consultant didn’t matter.

Will only wished to be left alone, but it seemed like Jack wasn’t going to allow any of the sorts. So he sighed and strode toward the front door unlocking it and opening the heavy wooden door.

‘Will, what’s this letter about?” Jack shook a white sheet of paper in his hand as he gauged the man in front of him.

Will was always looking a little messy, but it seemed to only get worse. His curls were overgrown in every direction, falling into his eyes in some places. His beard clearly hadn’t been shaved, though it didn’t look horrible on the man.

What was most obvious, though, was the clear achiness and tired way Will presented himself. Dark, heavy bags hung below his eyes. Almost like he had two black eyes, even though the man hadn’t appeared outside his house in over a month. Will had called out of work left and right with some sort of excuse, and then the letter of resignation last week.

“It means exactly what it says, Jack. I’m quitting.” Will didn’t meet eyes with Jack, keeping his view at his feet. He wasn’t good with people, especially Jack. So he kept his eyes low so he wouldn’t have to see the expression he knew was plastered on his former boss’ face. Anger. Frustration. Confusion. Will could clearly tell from the way Jack’s voice reverberated against his ears.

“Yes, but why? Why are you quitting your job? Out of the blue like this?” Jack’s voice was deep and it carried far, it caused Will’s sensitive ears to twinge at the sound.

“Not quite.” Will paused, “I’ve had that letter in my drawer since last January. None of it’s ‘out of the blue’ here Jack. I was just wondering when I should turn it in.”

Both men were quiet for a time before Jack spoke again. “Can’t you give me a reason? Was the last case too much?”   
  
Will was growing tired and his eyes felt like they were tied to small weights, “Jack, I’m not taking that letter back. So please just turn it in and find a replacement. There are plenty of people there that would love to work with you and I’m sure there are even more people that can fill in my teaching position.”

“Will! You are not replaceable, at least not on my team! Tell me-”

“I’m going blind, Jack!” Will’s knuckles turned white against the side of the door. His body shaking in place. “It’s… There’s nothing you or the Bureau can do about it. There’s nothing the doctors can do about it. I’m not any use to you if I can’t even look at a crime scene. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

Jack stood at the door and did not speak, and Will took the chance to shut the door as he turned away. Jack did not try to stop him, and Will appreciated it.

The hot air was heavy in their chests, as like the mood in Will’s heart as he leaned against his door.

  
  


~

  
  


Will wrapped a scarf around his neck as he made his way toward the front door. He didn’t want to leave for work. He’s had a splitting headache for days and nothing was alleviating the pain, but duty calls. The car ride was cold and quiet, right up till he slammed the door and Jack found a place right next to him and starting spilling everything they knew about the crime scene.

It was a man and a woman. They lay together in the grass, looking at each other’s eyes. A bundle of makeshift roses lay, adorning their matching outfits.

“Are those made out of skin? What the hell?!” One of the workers muffled under his breath as he stood up.

Upon closer inspection, Will had noticed that the roses were in fact folded from skin. The flesh side was on the bottom, giving a strong contrast between pale skin and red flesh. “A dozen roses on each victim, that’s a lot of skin. Do we have a third victim?”

“Nope, but we can say for sure that the skin belongs to these two here.” One of the agents kneeled down and peeled back some of the cloth, “Underneath their outfits, the skin was cut clean. Enough for the two dozen roses. These were precise cuts too, made by a sharp tool. A scalpel, maybe?”

Will pushed past his blinding headache and tried to think about the crime scene. Envisioning the killer and how he killed his victims. “Are there any signs of trauma, or is it just the skin that’s been removed? Any cause of death right now?”

“Well, we can start a list actually.” Jack began, “Three missing kidneys, a missing heart, and half a lung. The cause of death was a swift snap of their necks. Never knew what hit ‘em. Maybe black market organ dealers, or a hit?”

Will shook his head, “If it was a hit, the killer wouldn’t have bothered staying this long. Removing the organs and displaying the skin like this would be pointless and open the possibility of leaving evidence, wouldn’t need the organs either. Same with dealers. Sure the organs are missing, but why the display? And only half a lung? It couldn’t be a botched job, nor was this guy rushed. He had enough time to surgically remove the organs and skin, placing and taking what he wanted.”

The others around him pondered and all seemed to silently agree. “It’s him again, isn’t it? The Ripper.” The air grew dark and Jack sighed, “It definitely seems that way. I was almost hoping it’d stop since there hasn’t been a killing in almost half a year.”

Will stood in silence before his head ached again. He pulled his glasses off and pinched the bridge of his nose. After adjusting to the pain, he put his glasses back on and opened his mouth to speak.

Just before Will could vocalize his thoughts, a wave of nausea hit and he stumbled backward. He began to lurch, but he was unable to empty his stomach. Will had eaten nothing the evening before, so the only thing that came up was bile and stomach acid. Along with the sick feeling came a near-searing pain. He tried to catch himself, but failed and hit cold snow.

  
  


When Will awoke, he found himself in what he believes is a hospital room. The edges of his vision rounded with blurriness and it made it hard to focus on the things around him.

“Excuse me?” His voice was coarse and it hurt to speak. Will didn’t know how long he had been asleep, but his mouth was dry and he felt immense hunger in the pit of his stomach.

The nurse looked up and smiled, “Mr. Graham, finally awake? I can call the doctor in if you’d like. He has some things to discuss with you.” The smile she presented was probably one of the fakest he’d seen. In his line of work, it was his job to spot the liars and fakes in a crowd. So it wasn’t hard for Will to realize that he was going to hear something he wouldn’t like.

Will hesitated, but the nurse took his silence as a ‘yes’ and walked out the door, shutting it quietly behind her. 

The wait felt longer than it needed to be, and Will tried to sit up, only to fall back down against his pillow. “Mr. Will Graham, I’m your doctor this afternoon. My name is-”

“Why am I here?” Will put it simply. There was no need for a smooth talk when the doctor obviously had something to tell him.

“Well,” The doctor cleared his throat. “Have you been experiencing headaches, dizziness, or sickness prior to today?”

Will glared toward the doctor and groaned, “Yes, but that’s how I usually spend my days. I don’t sleep well and that’s usually paired with my stressful job. I’m sure you’re aware I work with the FBI?”

“Yes, working with the FBI can be stressful. But I’m afraid there are some other stressful matters.” Will stared at the doctor with disinterest, and he continued, “You were brought in after passing out while on the field. What was simply thought to be just stress or lack of sleep ended up far worse than you probably care for.”

“So what does that mean exactly?” Growing more agitated with the lengthening conversation, Will tried to sit up again.

“I wouldn’t move too much if I were you, you’ve been administered a heavy pain blocker and you’ve been asleep for the better part of ten hours so you might be a little worse for wear.” The doctor moved to stop his patient from moving too much, much to Will’s dismay.

“After the first couple of hours, you woke up dazed and in a lot of pain. Have you been having any problems with vision lately?”

Will thought through the past week. He’d been taking pain medication almost constantly, trying to ease the pain. Unable to sleep, he was left with a not-so-great week. “Nothing out of the ordinary except for the constant headache and unfocused vision. I even started wearing my glasses full-time.”

“While you were asleep, I checked both of your eyes. There appears to be some significant optic nerve damage. I can’t say anything as of yet, but you might end up with some permanent, if not worsening vision loss.”

Will was very confused but only watched as the doctor excused himself. Soon after the nurse left as well and he was left alone in his head.  _ Optic nerve damage? Permanent vision loss? _

The words spun around Will’s mind till he felt sick again. He decided to lay down again and closed his eyes.

  
  


The following week, he was released from the hospital. “Diagnosed optic nerve damage, with possible worsening conditions.” Will cursed under his breath. Fortunately, the doctors caught the eye damage early, so it was treatable for the most part. But whatever damage that had already been done was irreversible. The conditions of his eyes could get better or worsen depending on how he took care of himself.

Will weighed his options while he stared at the open drawer in his desk, and the paper inside it. He reached to grab it, but then Jack walked in, and he shut the drawer back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not Will directly disobeying doctor's orders, should have given his letter sooner. Or lessoned his eye strain, but Will is trying to be helpful. Even at the expense of himself.


	2. New Company

After an hour, Will finally brought himself to push himself from the door. He knew Jack had already left ages ago, but some part of him still expected Jack to be standing there, dumbfounded with his letter of resignation in hand. But he knew better. With Will’s worsening vision, he wouldn’t be of any use on the field, and now Jack knew that, so he had no reason to try and get Will back to work.

The reasoning was solid, but he felt empty inside. The weights on his heels were gone, and Will had no need to step into that world again. A world where monsters don’t live in fairytales, and there are no heroes; just people against the cruel world.

The restraints were gone, but only to be replaced with a whole new type. The kind of restraint that left a sour taste in his mouth. The feeling of being completely useless where he had been previously needed so much was gaping and left him in a pit of loneliness.

It was the loud ringing of his phone that tore Will’s mind from thought. When he picked the phone up, it was his doctor again. Sighing, he set the phone back down. Whatever the doctor wanted to say, he’d listen to the voicemail later and decide whether it was worth it or not. The doctors couldn’t do anything about the future of his eyesight, so why did they feel the need to contact him left and right?

Will walked back toward the tall window and looked at his painting. Which wasn’t much of a painting in his opinion, it was much more disarray on a canvas. The rest of the canvases in the room were littered with color. Different shades and hues. 

But past the many color schemes and different canvas sizes, they all had a dark painted stag. It had become one of Will’s newfound obsessions. The last case they were working on a month ago was the ongoing case of the Chesapeake Ripper. Having gone almost half a year without killing was pretty extraordinary, but the artful murders began again last January without warning.

Will had stepped away from work, but it didn’t stop him from working this one case from home. It was the one thing he could not stop doing. Given his history, it wasn’t hard to access any files he may need so everything he was doing could be done from home, even with the clouding spots in his vision.

  
  


~

  
  


In his house, Will knew where everything was, so it was easy for him to move around. Outside though, was different. Even though he wasn’t completely blind, sometimes the world was still hard to navigate. Everything constantly on the move and never in the same place. It made the worse all the scarier; walking along the sidewalks and bumping into people he couldn’t see at the outermost parts of his peripheral.

His doctor had told him to get a service dog, but Will was adamant against it. He loved dogs, but anything that would force him to admit his life was changing in a way he was unable to stop had been, and still is completely unwelcome.

After practically hugging the edges of the sidewalk all the way to the store, he breathed a sigh of relief when the door was in sight. Inside the lights were bright and everything was in a straight line. As long as Will kept his eyes on the things around him, he was able to shop peacefully.

Sort of. Small things like letters and numbers were starting to become increasingly difficult to read.

Will mumbled under his breath while reading (or at least trying to read) the meat packaging in his hands. Staring at the price of the meat for what like forever was beginning to cause discomfort.  _ Damn this orange sticker, _ Will cursed. The bright color of the orange sticker and the white letters made it difficult to distinguish.

Right as Will was about to give up and just put the meat into his cart, a voice behind him spoke.

“You seem to be having some trouble, mind if I help?” The voice was dripping with an accent, but not so much to where Will was unable to distinguish what the man was saying.

“What you have in your hands is pork fat, unless you are adding that to your diet I doubt it is what you’re looking for.” A brief moment of embarrassment filled Will as he sat the meat back where he picked it up. Before he could turn to see the man behind him, the figure swiftly moved toward the packaging of meats to his left.

The man next to him wore a dark suit. It looked expensive and out of place in the store, but then again, Will didn’t know anything about fancy clothes. He looked back down to his outfit, a different kind of embarrassment filled him.

When was the last time he’d changed his clothes? Or done any laundry for that matter. His eyes darkened as his mind wandered someplace far.

The other man took notice as he turned back toward Will, a smile gracing his face. Will was messy looking, but not hard on the eyes. He took notice of Will when he entered the store behind him. Usually, he’d never go into this grocery store, but the man caught his eye. Will had been stepping along the sidewalks and when he entered the store, the man in the suit followed him inside.

He had noticed that Will was having difficulty reading after watching him pick something up, squint to read, then placing it in his with a sigh. He did not pity Will though, his interest was only piqued.

A broad hand landed on Will’s shoulder, drawing him back to reality. “Here, I’ve picked these for you. Will beef and pork be alright? I selected one of the best cuts laid out. Both of these will cost you twenty.”

Will shook his head and reached out to take the packaging from the suited man in front of him. But before Will could offer a word of thanks, the man sat the meats in his cart and walked away. Confused and thankful, Will put the meat he’d been holding back in its place and began making his way toward the cash register. He sat the meat down last, remembering the man’s voice and his hand on Will’s shoulder. He was sure he’d never met the man, but there was something so oddly familiar about him, almost unavoidable.

The walk home wasn’t much easier and Will bumped into a couple of people. Most people brushed it off but some raised their voice at him, yelling “Watch where you’re going dumbass!”

The harshness of their words forced Will to shrink back, unable to defend or answer for himself. With his eyes on the feet of everyone around him and sweat from the afternoon air clinging to the back of his neck up to his scalp, Will walked back home where he could keep his head up and look forward.   
  


But waiting at home wasn’t the peaceful atmosphere he had been hoping for, but a car, two actually. When he got closer, he could see the image of two people standing on his porch, waiting for him. Will groaned, not hiding his annoyance in the slightest.

Jack spoke first, breaking the silence. “Will, your doctor gave me a call. A couple actually. He filled me in on everything; the diagnosis in January, the appointments you haven’t been going to and his suggestion on getting a service dog.”

Will ignored the man and moved past him to unlock his front door, “Will?! Why haven’t you said anything before this?” Will continued to ignore Jack as he fumbled his keys, “Will!”

“And what would have happened, Jack? Would things have gone any differently if I said anything?” Will was past annoyed and was now angry. Jack was a persistent man, so much so that it was hard for Will to even tell the man no, even if it was his better judgment.

This time, it was his doctor’s turn to speak. “Will, I can’t force you to get help, but I brought a dog with me. He’s already trained and he’ll be a lot of help.” 

Will was about to say no, but then he remembered his walk earlier and sighed. “Let me put these away, you can come inside.” His doctor smiled and turned to his car, presumably to get the dog waiting for him inside.

When Will returned to his living room, Jack and his doctor were standing near the door, and so was a dog. He got closer to see the dog clearer, leaning down and allowing the dog to smell his hands.

Will smiled for the first time in a long time when the dog licked his hand, and he scratched the dog behind the ears. “Does he have a name?” Will added as he mumbled to the dog in front of him.

“His name is Winston, and I’ve brought his papers for you to sign if you’ll have him. He might need a little time to get used to his surroundings, but he’s well trained and does a good job even though he’s still quite young” The man pulled some papers and showed them to Will, who looked at the paper with unease. “Hey doc, not trying to be rude, but I actually can’t read font that small anymore.”

His doctor cleared his throat, “I can send you an email copy of this document, but I’ll need a physical signature if you don’t mind.”

Will looked at the paper and then toward Winston, he was already starting to enjoy the dog’s company. A company that he would more than likely enjoy around the house, and… he wouldn’t have so much trouble in public, even if he didn’t want to admit it.

He sighed again and smiled, “Okay, I’ll sign the papers. Anything else I need to know?”

“Not at all, and if you’d like, we can offer some assistance until you are used to having him around. They will be able to help with basic things and Winston.”

“A babysitter?” Will scoffed, “No thanks, I don’t need a babysitter. I know my way around my own house. Also, I just went shopping so I won’t be leaving the house for about a week.”

  
“Alright, Oh, Before I forget. Will, I’ve assigned you a psychiatrist. I’d like for you to have regular visits with him. I won’t force you, but I think it would benefit you greatly.”   
  
Will moved his hands over Winston’s fur and sighed, “I suppose I could go once, but I’m not making any promises, doctor.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really am stressing myself out, writing four things all at the same time, but I've been enjoying myself so it's worth it. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!


End file.
